Compound boat.



J. D. WHITE. coMPoUNn Bou.

APPLIOA'IY'ION FUJI) HAB. 9, 1909.

` Patented Dec. 7, 1909.

' aft of the compound boat.

'UNITED sTArEs P-rnnr onirica.V

JAMES DUNDAsWHITE, or LONDON, E1\:re1.n 1 n .`V

' coMPoUNn BOAT,

-Specication of Letters Patent. Paten ATo all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES DUNDAS WHITE, a subject of the King of England, and a resident of London, England, have 4made certain new and useful Improvements in Compound Boats', of whichthe following is a specification.

My invention relates to compound boats andit consists in the constructions, combi.-A

nations and arrangements 'hereinafter described'and claimed.v

The main object'of my invention is to provide a compound boat which shall combine great stability with small displacement, and in which each of the several hulls shall have sufficient freedom to roll, pitch, and'adjust its heading, so as to avoid'those excessive strains which have hitherto hindered the development of boats of this type. i

A further object of my invention `is to provide means forl keeping theindividual hulls directed in the line of their progress and to prevent diving of said hulls.

Further'objects and advantages will appear in the following specification and the novel features of the invention will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

My invention isillustrated in the.accom panying drawing, in .which- Figure l is a perspective view showing one embodiment of my" invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section fore and Figs. 3. and 4 are modified forms of the hulls, and Fig. 5 is a'detail sectional View of the universal joint.

The figures are drawn'A with a view to showing the character rather than the Sproportion of the parts; thus, for instance, the

deck is not intended to be so relatively high.

above the water, nor' the angle of the propeller shaft yso much out of the horizontal,

and the hulls are not intended to be so short `in proportion to their breadth.

. In carrying out my invention I provide ahorizontal,framework constituting art of the deck 1. The framework isv re erably trian ular in'plan, but both it an the'deek may e of any shape `or construction. This framework issu ported at three-points by the three vertica pieces 2, 3 and 4,-each of which is rigid 'with'it and strongly trussed` to it by means of the inclined braces. The.

'i i lower ends of these three lvertical pieces rest upon the three hulls A, B and C respectively, each vertical piece being connectpd with the 4hull below* the universal joint shown '1n-Fig, 5. These joints `are of such trainee. 7, 1909. Application tiled March 9, 1909. isierialNo. 482,285r-.ff p i i a vcharacter as to transmit the pressure'of the superincumbent weight to a o int low down in the hull, and t allow t e hull to roll, pitch and adjust its heading through sufiicient angles. y

The'construction of the hulls may be seen from the drawings. They are designed with full lines forward and fine lines'aft, on what is commonly called the cods head and mackerels tail77 principle. Thevertical pieces 2, 3 and lt pass 4into their respective hulls through the'wells', 6' and 7.V

Theseare preferably shaped like inverted cone frustums and are bulkheaded off from the rest of the hull space.' 'Except forJ this wel, each-hull'is preferably-a water-tight pontoon.4 In each hull thevconnecting joint is onor immediately abovethe keel andthe surrounding well is largek enough to allow Each joint is v for oscillatory movements. placed low down in its hull so as4 to make the superincumbent eight. act as ballast. Moreover, the joint well forward of .the center of lateral resist nce of the hull so asl to keep the hull heading in the directionjof its progress, but is well aft of the center of buoyancy of the hull, so as to prevent divm The hulls need not all be of the same size, but they -are all of .the same general character and the arrangement'of the connecting joint is thel same in them all.

The construction of the connecting joint is shown in Fig. '5. The end o f each the vertical pieces 2, 3 and/1, terminates 1n aV sphere 8, which rests in al hemis herical socket 9 in -a base 10, which is firm y fixed just above the keel. A collar 11, which encircles the upper 4part of the sphere 8, is arranged to. be bolted to the base l0 in the manner clearlyshown -in the figure. The collar is ofsucha size -as to allow the sphere sufficient range 'of oscillatory movement, butto preventfit from drawing away from the base; WhileI'haveshow-n a universal joint/of specific construction, it will be understoodthat any joint permitting a free movement .of the 'stationary supports 2, 3 and 4 iniany direction, might be substituted for'thevformiherein shown.

' In each hull the well may be madewatertight orapjroximately so, `by covering it vtwo hulls.

circumference. The central portion of the covering may surround the vertical supporting piece and`be attached to it, and if the covering is loose there will be a suiicient range ofmovement, while the covering effectually keeps out the water.

.For purposes ofspeed the undersides of the hulls may be either of the ordinary type, as shown in Fig. 2, or they ma be constructed on the hydroplane princip e as shown in Figs. 3 and 4i. In lthese figures the connecting joint is placed as low as possible 'in the fore part of the hull.

When the compound boat is to be used as a motor boat, the engine 12 maybe placed amidships just-abaft -the leading hull, the propeller shaft 13 passing between the other In Fig. 1 the rudder 14 is shown as placed amidships between the two after hulls, but I do not confine my invention to this or to any other special position or arrangement of the rudder, or to the use of 'one lines aft on the cods head and mackerels While I have' shown the compound boat as comprising three hulls it will be understood that any number of hulls might'be used. SoV also I do not wish to limit myself tothe precise constructionin regard to the location of the engine, propeller shaft and rudder shown in Fig. 1or to the use of -a single engine,propeller shaft, propeller, and rudder, 'since other devices based upon the same general idea mi ht be made4 without departing from the splrit and scopel of this invention.

wardly extending v 1. In acompound boat, a rlgid deck, downwardly extending supports therefor, a plurality of individual hulls; universal ljoints for connecting each of said supports to one ofsaid hulls'said connection being in each case low down inthe hull forward of the center of lateral resistance of the hull and abaft of the center of buoyancy thereof.

2. In a compound boat, ari id deck, downsupports t erefor, a pluual hulls, each provided rality of indivi with a bulkheaded Well, universal joints for connecting each of said supports with said hulls arranged in the bottom of said bulkheaded well forward of the center of lateral resistance of the hull and abaft of the cenl ter of buoyancy thereof.

3. In acompound boat,arigid deck, downwardly extendino supports therefor, a plurainy of indiviuai hulls, each hun being designed with full lines forward and ne tail principle, and having a conical shaped bulkheaded Well extending nearly to the keel, universal joints for connecting each of said supports with said hulls arranged in the bottom of said bulkheaded well forward of the center of lateral resistance of the hull and abaftof the center of buoyancy thereof.

r JAMES DUNDAS WHITE.v Witnesses: A i

CHARLES EVANS, ELIZABETH ANN KILBY. 

